The Toronto Raptors will travel to Charlotte to take on the Hornets on Sunday. The game will start at 1:00 p.m. ET from the Spectrum Center.
Latest Injury Update for Toronto Raptors and Charlotte Hornets
The Toronto Raptors have to win their remaining games, starting with Sunday’s road game against the Charlotte Hornets, if they want to make the NBA play-in round.
Before their respective losses in their most recent games, both teams were riding three-game winning streaks. While both teams are in last place in their respective divisions in the Eastern Conference, the Raptors are four games ahead of the 11th-place Washington Wizards with five games remaining, putting them in ninth place in the conference at 38-39.
The Toronto Raptors need one more win to secure a playoff berth. Meanwhile, the Hornets (26-52) do not have enough points to make the playoffs.
Despite forward Scottie Barnes scoring 29 points on 13-of-19 shooting from the floor on Friday night in Philadelphia, the Raptors were defeated 117-110.
In Friday’s loss, Pascal Siakam played 42 minutes and finished with 14 points (5-15 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 3-4 FT), 4 rebounds, and 7 assists.
In March, Siakam’s scoring was all over the place, in part because of his lackluster three-point shooting (25.9 percent). His ceiling is still high, though, due of his ability to pad the stat sheet. At the end of the month’s regular playtime, he averaged 19.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 5.7 assists.
Pascal Siakam leads Toronto in scoring this season. In addition to his 24.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game, he is shooting 47.6 percent from the field.
Focus will be crucial for Toronto as they try to secure a play-in position and build momentum heading into the tournament.
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Meanwhile, the Charlotte Hornets (22-48 SU and 31-36-3 ATS) lost to the Bulls on Friday. Charlotte was humiliated in front of its home crowd who had hoped for a respectable season finale.
The list of injured Hornets players has grown. P.J. Washington with a sprained right foot has been added to that list, which already includes LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, Kelly Oubre Jr., Gordon Hayward and Dennis Smith Jr.
Hayward is questionable to play on Sunday against the Raptors due to a thumb injury.
Hayward will miss his third consecutive game due to resting his damaged left thumb. In that case, he has only three more chances to make a comeback before the season is over.
On Sunday, rookie center Mark Williams, who has started 14 of his 40 games, may be the only player available who has been in the starting lineup for any length of time for the Hornets. Williams has just returned from a thumb injury.
In January, the Raptors and Hornets met twice in Toronto, with a day in between each game. Both times, the Raptors came out on top. Pascal Siakam led Toronto in scoring with 28 and 35 points, respectively, in the two contests.
As Rozier (33) and Ball (32) were the Hornets’ top scorers in those contests are out, the team will need to find replacements.
Injury Reports Hornets
- PJ Washington (Ankle) – Questionable
- Dennis Smith Jr. (Toe) – Questionable
- Kelly Oubre Jr. (Shoulder) – Questionable
- Gordon Hayward (Thumb) – Questionable
- Terry Rozier (Foot) – Out
- Cody Martin (Knee) – Out
- LaMelo Ball (Ankle) – Out for the season
Injury Reports Raptors
- Gary Trent Jr. (Back) – Questionable
- Dalano Banton (Thumb) – Questionable
- Will Barton (Ankle) – Questionable
- Otto Porter Jr. (Foot) – Out for the season
